XN000022-1977-12-02 — Page 11

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1977

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CAPACITY OF MUK WU PUMPING STATION

TO BE INCREASED ****

WORK WILL BEGIN SOON TO INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF THE MUK WU PUMPING STATION IN SHEUNG SHUI,

TENDERS FOR THE WORK WERE INVITED TODAY BY THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

THE CONTRACT WILL INVOLVE THE INSTALLATION OF THREE ADDITIONAL PUMPS EACH CAPABLE OF DELIVERING 186,000 CUBIC METRES OF WATER A DAY AT THE PUMPING STATION. THESE PUMPS WILL REPLACE THE TEMPORARY ONES INSTALLED THERE LAST YEAR WHEN CHINA AGREED TO GIVE ADDITIONAL WATER SUPPLIES TO HONG KONG.

THE WORK WOULD BEGIN EARLY NEXT YEAR AND TAKE ABOUT 18 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

MR. WILLIAM TUCKER, DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, SAID TODAY THAT THE WORK FORMED PART OF STAGE 1 OF THE EAST RIVER SCHEME WHICH WAS BEING DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE THE ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES FROM CHINA ON A PERMANENT BASIS AND OBTAIN THE MAXIMUM BENEFITS FROM THE RIVER INDUS SOURCE.

+A NEW AQUEDUCT SYSTEM TO PROVIDE DIRECT DELIVERY TO PLOVER COVE RESERVOIR VIA THE NAM CHUNG TUNNEL WILL BE BUILT BY EARLY 1980, MR. TUCKER SAID.

+THIS WILL PROVIDE THE MUCH NEEDED INCREASE IN DELIVERY CAPACITY AND GREATER OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY.+

MEANWHILE, TENDERS WILL SOON BE INVITED FOR THE LAYING OF FRESH AND SALT WATER MAINS IN THE TSUEN WAN/KWAI CHUNG AREA AS PART OF THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF TSUEN WAN NEW TOWN.

THE WORK WHICH EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN MARCH AND TAKE ABOUT 15 MONTHS TO COMPLETE WILL CONSIST OF THE LAYING OF ABOUT 10,000 METRES OF MAINS RANGING IN SIZE FROM 100 TO 500 MM IN DIAMETER.

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